This invention relates to a medical stroller for assisting those who have difficulty walking about on their own due to old age, or various physical limitations. The invention is easy to maneuver, and includes safety features for preventing the patient from falling to the ground and injuring himself.
Prior art walking aids suffer from numerous drawbacks and limitations. The standard crutch or forearm crutch is insufficient for the relatively weak patient who is unable to adequately support his body weight through the arms for an extended period of time. Further, the use of crutches may increase the potential for accidents and injury to the patient, particularly where the patient's physical abilities are steadily declining. The four-legged walker includes similar limitations. Although the walker provides more support, as compared to crutches, the potential for accidents and injury is evident. Typical walkers do not include a safety harness which will catch the patient in the event of a fall. Moreover, the walker requires a relatively high amount of strength and mobility to maneuver, as compared to the present invention. The wheelchair is often the last resort for the patient who is incapable of safely walking or moving about with these such prior art walking aids. Since the wheelchair provides no exercise or movement for legs, these muscles will atrophy more quickly and ultimately diminish the physical strength of the patient.
The present invention addresses the problems of prior art walking aids by providing a medical stroller which is safe and easy to maneuver. The present invention allows the patient to use the muscles in the arms and legs when walking without any danger of falling. In addition, the present invention is moveable from an open patient ingress/egress position to a closed patient encircling position. This allows the patient to easily enter and exit the stroller in the open position, while providing complete patient support in the closed position.